Saxony-Anhalt, a state in central-eastern Germany with a population of 2.1 million, could be the first of the country’s 16 Länder in which the rising Alternative für Deutschland (AfD, Alternative for Germany) secures a clear victory to govern on its own.

The debate surrounding this far-right nationalist party has been going on for years, whilst its popular support has continued to grow. Over the years, its confrontation with the two established churches – the Protestant Church (EKD) and the Roman Catholic Church – has also intensified.

One example is the banners and flags hung on places of worship belonging to both Christian denominations in the city of Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt. “Love thy neighbour. Human dignity. Solidarity. Vote with awareness!”, read messages displayed on the Catholic cathedral, according to the German television channel Deutsche Welle. A few streets away, a Protestant church expresses: “Diversity comes from God”.

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AfD presents itself as the guardian of Christendom

These pre-election messages on churches are clear allusions to the AfD, which leads the polls with over 40% of the vote and which also claims to represent Christian values. Among these, its leaders say, is the restoration of a Christian cultural identity, which involves curbing Islam (“a religion hostile to our culture”) and immigration from non-Western countries. In recent years, the AfD has been the party most vocal in speaking out against abortion and in support of persecuted Christians in other parts of the world.

In its open confrontation with the leadership of the traditional Christian churches, the AfD proposes abolishing the church tax that funds these churches and withdrawing subsidies from Christian schools that promote gender ideology or multiculturalism. The established churches, they say, are no longer serving a purpose.

The presence of these churches is very limited in Saxony-Anhalt. Only 13% identify as Protestant or Catholic, whilst 85% describe themselves as having no religion.

Should Christians vote for a party with radical policies?

The German Bishops’ Conference, the Catholic leadership, stated in a 2024 document that “nationalist populism is incompatible with Christianity”. They have not gone so far as to call for the AfD to be outlawed, as several progressive parties have done, arguing that the party’s extremism even leads it to downplay the evil of the Nazi regime.

But do Christians vote for the AfD? A 2024 poll suggested that more than 25% of Catholics and Protestants would choose them. Although there are no clear figures on members of free churches in Germany, media reports indicate that there is also debate amongst evangelical Christians as to whether or not the AfD best represents those who believe in the Bible.

The left throws evangelicals and Jihadists into the same bag

Meanwhile, at the other end of the political spectrum, the radical left-wing party Die Linke (which, according to the polls, would come third in the new Saxony-Anhalt parliament) attacks evangelical Christians.

When addressing religious freedom in its election manifesto, Die Linke states that “religious fundamentalism, whether of a Christian-evangelical or jihadist nature, must be firmly combated through intervention, awareness-raising, prevention and civil society initiatives”.

This statement of intent from what is now the leading progressive party (ahead of the Social Democrats who have governed Germany for years) has caused astonishment.

Among those who have reacted is Thomas Rachel, Germany’s Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief of Chancellor Merz’s government. “Equating so-called ‘evangelical’ Christianity with the inhuman and anti-Semitic terror of Islamist jihadism is an outrageous defamation of this branch of the Christian faith, which remains, to this day, a diverse and vibrant form of piety in our country”, he said to the magazine Pro Medien Magazin.

“It is outrageous, particularly in Germany – where, historically speaking, Pietism and the Enlightenment flourished side by side – to accuse evangelical Christians and church congregations of a violent and anti-democratic fundamentalism that must be ‘resolutely combated’”, he added.

Berlin, next stop

In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD is likely to secure more votes than the following three parties combined. The next regional elections will take place in Berlin on 20 September, so what happens in this first election in a smaller state could serve as a trial run for a decisive political shift in Germany’s capital.

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